The feds to states: Breathe it and like it
By HOWARD TROXLER
Published January 8, 2008
At 6:30 p.m. on the Wednesday before Christmas, a particularly gutless time to announce bad news, the Bush administration dropped a bombshell on the states.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told California that it can't set its own, tougher standards for automobile emissions.
Several states were hoping to follow California's lead, so their plans were shot down, too. Since the EPA's ruling, 16 of the states have sued.
Here in Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist criticized the decision and said Florida might join the lawsuit. "We think states have rights," he said.
(A spokeswoman for Crist said Monday that "we're with the lawyers and looking at what Florida's best option is.")
This is a sorry business for several reasons.
First, the EPA under President Bush tried not to regulate greenhouse gases at all, claiming that it didn't have the authority. The U.S. Supreme Court disagreed.
Meanwhile, the EPA dragged its feet and took more than two years to rule on California's request. The state had to sue to force a decision.
The automobile industry -and even other Bush administration officials - lobbied against California's request.
And so, although the EPA had previously granted more than 50 other requests by California for tougher rules, this time it said no.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called the decision "unconscionable." Democrats in charge of Congress want an investigation.
As for the Bush administration, it continues to insist that there ought to be a single national standard.
The federal rules are more lenient. To reduce greenhouse emissions, the state wanted a mileage standard of almost 37 miles per gallon by 2016; the feds will require 35 mpg, and not until 2020.
With a wonderful sense of spin, a headline on the EPA's Web site declares: "America Receives a National Solution for Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions."
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Whether the EPA's ruling is legal is up to the courts. But when it comes to how things ought to be ...
There's a compelling reason for the feds to set minimum national standards. After all, the air doesn't stop at one state's border.
But if California or Florida want to be even tougher, then why not? Because it would be inconvenient for auto makers? The heck with them.
Some argue that state-by-state standards are bad for consumers, or impractical to enforce. But those are trade-offs that each state is entitled to consider for itself.
All my adult life, I have heard Republican politicians complain about "big government" and declare that "Washington doesn't have all the answers."
Yet once in Washington, Republicans seem just as apt as Democrats, if not more so, to blow my money, rack up debt and use the power of big, central government.
I side with Arnold.
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After the holiday layoff, aren't you ready for a nice, issue-packed live chat from noon to 1 p.m. today on TroxBlog? We can talk about baseball stadiums, property taxes, presidential politics, or anything else that's on your mind.
You'll find TroxBlog under the "Blogs" menu at the top of tampabay.com. Just look for the new item at noon with the headline, "The Jan. 8 chat is open."